Interviews

This week singer/songwriter Queenie releases her sophomore album Pleasance, a heady journey from lush pop into expansive alternative rock. Queenie pops into Radio City for a chat and to play a couple of intimate live songs in the studio.

Geelong Indie/Folkternative artist Madeliene Cope is completely in control of her craft, blending heartfelt storytelling, atmospheric indie-folk soundscapes and captivating live performance. On August 22, Madeliene will be launching her new EP 'VOICES', backed by a full band and performing in Geelong's latest music venue, Church. Tune in to Down By The River from 10am to hear the stories and journey behind Madeliene's new EP.

Kaytetye producer and DJ RONA will be joining Milo Eastwood on the show today, the day before her EP launch at Hope St Radio on August 21. The new release 'To The Ground' explores the living frequency of Country and the power of rhythm to return us to ourselves. Moving between intimate sound design, expansive vocals and basslines inspired by ceremonial grounds, the EP draws the body back toward earth. Tune in to The Breakfast Spread from 8am to hear from RONA. 

Sam Gill and Luke Neher are AKSFX, the electronic duo behind the music for 'Big Walk'. 'Big Walk' is the latest game by House House, the Melbourne indie studio behind 2019's hit 'Untitled Goose Game'. Soundtracking this cooperative multiplayer adventure about teamwork and talking, 'Big Walk's' music is otherworldly and leans into the goal of getting lost with close friends in a big world. Tune into Game Jams this week to hear Sam and Luke chat with Matt about how this OST came together.

Fusion on Fitzroy Street is back this September 5, with local singer-songwriter Lisa Miller on the lineup. With seven albums in a 20+ year solo career, Lisa Miller has toured with Neil Young, Nick Cave, Billy Bragg, Nick Lowe, and is admired for her emotional and veracious songwriting as for her uniquely diverse interpretations of obscure folk, soul, country and blues songs. Tune in to The Breakfast Spread this morning for an intimate, live performance from Lisa Miller.

Tonight on the show, Ryan catches up with Blaythe Steuer, the vocalist for Alabama metallic hardcore group No Cure. Blaythe will be chatting about the new album 'It Is Going To Get Dark', along with No Cure's debut Australian tour supporting To The Grave, playing at Max Watt's Melbourne on September 5. Find out about the group's aspirations for the rest of the year.

Coming onto Pojama People today is Mike Rudd and Tim Gaze, chatting about their double bill show at the Wesley Anne on August 28. Tim Gaze has trailblazed a lifetime of music, including time with Tamam Shud during and post the seminal Morning of the Earth era and breakaway band, Kahvas Jute. Best known for his work with Spectrum, Mike Rudd's song 'I'll Be Gone' became one of the most enduring songs of that era and still heard on the radio today. Tune in to hear from these two artists.

Mparntwe/Alice Springs based group Charlie Ivan Band have released their second full-length album 'Of Nothing'. "It's meant to feel like a car dropping into the low road, trying to escape a dust storm trailing in from the west. It's meant to drive forward with a kind of quiet intensity". Ahead of the show at Northcote Social Club on August 20, Charlie drops into Underground Love to play a live song, and to chat about the album release.

On September 5, 'DIY On High', a free day festival on High Street, as part of Darebin FUSE Festival, will be taking place across Cactus Room from 1pm and Cafe Gummo from 6pm. The line-up features emerging Naarm artists, including Kosmetika, Banksy, R.U.B and Bughunt, highlighting local independent music in intimate settings, offering two distinct shows that together form a full day of diverse punk. Ahead of the festival, Carsten Bruhn joins Kurt on Homebrew to chat about the day.

Sydney vocalist-songwriter Tilly Street returns to JazzLab on August 21 to celebrate the release of her debut album 'All At Sea'. A contemporary blend of original compositions and jazz standards, navigating the unpredictable waves of life, Street has a gift for connection and a sound that draws you in. Tune in to hear about the new album, and some of the incredible collaborators she worked with on the record. 

Tune in to Black Wax this Monday to hear from AKEY - a queer, trans non-binary powerhouse of Australia’s nu-jazz scene. Their sound synthesises up-tempo future-sonic jazz with hip-hop breakbeats, luscious synth harmonies, and Afro-Cuban grooves. A genre-smashing keyboardist, they’ve toured globally, supporting icons like Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan and Thundercat. Find out about their new single 'fk me & (only then) call me a f**', and the release show at Shotkickers on August 20.

Sound artist Robbie Avenaim will premiere 'Shine Caught Blue' at Now Or Never on August 21, featuring a groundbreaking collaboration between two peculiar percussion robots: Avenaim’s custom-built S.A.R.P.S. (Semi Automated Percussion System). Presented as an outdoor installation and performance event with Melbourne’s iconic public sound sculpture, this is a complex exchange between human gesture and robotic precision. Robbie stops by Deeep Space to chat about 'Shine Caught Blue'.

Joining Claire on The Breakfast Spread today is indie-folk musician Rowena Wise. Her sophomore album 'Bad Things Feel Good*' is a bold, intimate statement on transformation, tracing the emotional fault lines of love, identity and mental health with unflinching clarity. Across raw, live-band arrangements and candid, poetic lyricism, Wise explores heartbreak, estrangement and the quiet unravelling of selfhood. Tune in from 8am for an intimate, acoustic performance from Rowena. 

Today on the show, Ian Parsons catches up with world-renowned pianist and composer Michael Kieran Harvey. A strenuous advocate for new music, and particularly for music by Australian composers who push boundaries and challenge ideas, Michael is currently based in Tasmania. Tune in from 10pm to hear Michael chat about his new album 'The Life In Between', which celebrates recent works by some of Michael's closest musical friends.

At the Melbourne Recital Centre on Friday August 21, Africubismo will be bringing together musicians who reimagine their shared lineages from West Africa and Cuba. Ray Pereira, Amadou Suso, Yunior Terry Cabrera and Julien Wilson from the group will drop in to the Global Village to perform some live music - tune in to hear about cascading West African harp lines meeting the polyrhythmic pulse of rumba and son, and contemporary improvisation bridges past and present.

Infusing centuries old Lithuanian folk music with decades old fashion and months old facial hair, The Lost Clog is made up of the offspring of World War II Lithuanian refugees living in Melbourne. Alex Brovedani (kankles player) and Jieva Brovedani (fiddle and drum player) visit the Global Village to talk about a fundraising concert for the Australian Lithuanian Festival on Sunday August 23, which is titled 'Baltic Ballads of Birds & Bees' and will be held at the Melbourne Lithuanian Club.

With a sound that is rooted in the rich traditions of the tar, setar, and oud, Reza Kashi is a gifted Persian musician. He began his career in Iran in 1998, migrated to Australia in 2017, and has become a sought-after musician who works with a variety of Middle Eastern, Western and Australian ensembles. Tune in to the Global Village as he chats with Roger about his presentation of 'A Mystic Journey with the Oud' at CY Venue on Saturday 29th August, and for an intimate solo oud performance.

Channeling global rhythms and underground club energy into fiercely dynamic dance floors, Lahore-born, New York–raised DJ and producer ZAINAB will be joining Pradip on the show this weekend. Previously known as ZEEMUFFIN, ZAINAB will be chatting about her new EP 'Canal View', a club-ready production with samples and collaborators from across South Asia and the Middle East. 

Celebrating 50 years of community radio, our good friends at 3RRR have just kicked off their annual fundraising campaign, the 3RRR Radiothon. This week on Switched On Chris Gill (Get Down) drops in to chat to Emma about all the great reasons why independent community radio is so vital, and how our stations, and our sector more broadly, contribute to this city's extraordinary music culture.

This week on Burning Bitumen Kene chats to Brann Dailor from US metal masters Mastodon about their new album Marrow Deep, their return to heavier material and a look back at the most tumultuous year of their career.